Back in May 2024, I wrote an article on the possible reasons why Romeo allowed white and black students to attend the Romeo High School long before the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. In it, I stated, "While it's not clear when Romeo started having white and black students go to the same school together, it certainly was the case by 1938."
Then one day this year, I came across this article on the front page of the June 28, 1905 issue of The Romeo Observer.
The term colored would have primarily been used to describe African-American people in the past. Since Romeo had a small black population back then, it's safe to assume that John was black, especially given his African surname.
Now, I understand that it's only that one sentence, but the fact that that newspaper decided to place it on the first page speaks to how much they wanted this to be big deal in Romeo. In fact, this edition came out 9 years after the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which established the "separate, but equal" doctrine and legalized racial segreation.
On the more immediate side of things, the announcement of John H. Ebo's graduation confirms that Romeo High School included black students as early as the 1900s since John was graduating with the class of 1904. He was one of 12 students to receive their high school diploma in 1905.
But what do we know about John himself? From his obituary in the November 2, 1927 edition of The Romeo Observer, I found that he was born in this village on November 8, 1884. Not much is known about his childhood other than he grew up in Romeo, had two parents Peter and Julia and a younger brother named Ernest, and attended the public schools.
The first mention of John in the local newspaper came in the April 8, 1903 edition. In the "High School Notes" section, the paper announced that an athletic association has been formed at the school, and he was elected as Vice President of that organization. Ironically, the President was a student named Harry White. It proclaimed it's "their intention to organize a foot ball and base ball team and other sports."
That High School Athletic Association certainly formed a foot ball team by the end of 1903 since the October 28, 1903 issue wrote about a football game between Romeo and Oxford. That article listed injuries suffered by some of the players, including John and his ankle. It even quipped, "Prize fighting seems less hazardous than foot ball playing."
Nonetheless, John kept doing sports at Romeo High School. Along with football, he played baseball. While he was the Vice President of the High School Athletic Association, he also became the base ball captain in April 1904.
After high school, John worked at a foundry in town for years before moving to Detroit to work for the Ford Motor Company. Before relocating, the The Romeo Observer mentioned him a few more times. One of them was when he won first prize "in the standing broad jump without weights" contest at a carnival in July 1909.
In 1918, he married Hazel Hurst. They had a son named John Jr. a few years later. On October 27, 1927, John H. Ebo died after a long illness at the age of 42. In his obituary, The Romeo Observer claimed that his cause of death was the injury he sustained while playing footbal in high school. Whether or not it was because he hurt his ankle back in October 1903 remains unknown.
What is clear is that John made a noteworthy impression on Romeo with his athleticism at a time when racial segregation was legalized by the US Supreme Court. His presence proves that African-American students were going to Romeo schools, especially Romeo High School, as early as 1903.
To learn more about John H. Ebo, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Observer, April 8, 1903, p. 8; October 28, 1903, p.4; April 27, 1904, p.4; May 31, 1905, p.4; June 28, 1905, p.1; July 7, 1909, p.4; November 2, 1927, p.5; and FamilySearch